You are cordially invited to an event hosted by the Hassan Diab Support Committee. This is a special opportunity to meet Dr. Hassan Diab, learn about the Kafkaesque situation he has faced since 2008, and hear about the latest developments in his extradition case.

Daniel Sheppard – Attorney and member of Hassan’s legal team. His interests include international human rights and international criminal law.

The evening will also feature:

Live musical entertainment

Poetry reading

Raffle and silent auction

Complimentary snacks and refreshments

Admission is free. All are welcome. Bring your family and friends!

Background

“My life has been turned upside down because of unfounded allegations and suspicions. I am innocent of the accusations against me. I have never engaged in terrorism. I am not an anti-Semite. I have always been opposed to bigotry and violence.”

Dr. Hassan Diab, Ottawa, Canada

Dr. Hassan Diab is a Canadian citizen and sociology professor in Ottawa who has been living a Kafkaesque nightmare since November 2008. France is seeking his extradition to question him regarding a bombing in Paris in 1980. Hassan is not charged with any crime, yet he has been living under very strict bail conditions that include paying $2,000 per month for a GPS device he is required to wear at all times.

In 2011, a Canadian judge decided to commit Dr. Diab to extradition based solely on a handwriting analysis report that alleges that Hassan’s handwriting matches five words on a Paris hotel registration card from 1980. Five internationally renowned handwriting experts testified that the report is based on fundamentally flawed methodology and is patently unreliable and biased. The extradition judge himself described the handwriting analysis report as “very problematic”, “very confusing”, “convoluted”, and with “conclusions that are suspect”. Yet the judge ruled that he is required under Ontario’s interpretation of Canada’s extradition law to commit Dr. Diab for extradition.

Several months after the judge’s decision, French authorities revealed that they have not decided whether to place Hassan on trial, and that he is only sought for investigation purposes. Despite this revelation, in 2012 the Minister of Justice, Mr. Rob Nicholson, signed an order surrendering Hassan to France.

Dr. Diab’s case points to glaring problems with Canada’s extradition law. In extradition cases, the Charter rights of the person sought are severely compromised. Canadian standards of evidence do not apply. The standard for extradition is so low that Canada hands people over to other countries based on evidence that is not acceptable in Canadian courts. Canada has extradition treaties with countries that allow secret intelligence, including intelligence that may have been the product of torture, to be used as evidence at trial. Evidence submitted by the foreign country is presumed reliable. In addition, foreign countries may cherry-pick what evidence to present to Canada, and need not disclose any exculpatory evidence. For example, at the extradition hearing, Hassan was not allowed to introduce evidence showing that his finger and palm prints do not match those of the presumed bomber.

Every citizen should be concerned about this grave injustice. If it can happen to Hassan, it can happen to any one of us!

2. Appeal to be Heard on November 4 and 5, 2013

Dr. Hassan Diab’s appeal of the judge’s extradition decision and the Minister’s surrender order will be heard by the Ontario Court of Appeal in Toronto on November 4 and 5, 2013.

Three human rights organizations, Amnesty International, the British Columbia Civil Liberties Association (BCCLA), and the Canadian Civil Liberties Association (CCLA), have filed interventions with the court, expressing their deep concerns about the case.

In its submission, Amnesty wrote that extraditing a person to face a trial where evidence gleaned from torture could be introduced violates Canada’s obligations under international law. “The Minister of Justice should refuse extradition where there is a real risk that torture-derived evidence would be used at trial.”

BCCLA observed that the global “war on terror” has impacted the security and intelligence practices of many states, including Western democracies. The result has been a “dangerous dynamic whereby all too often individuals get lost in the state machinery of suspicion and guilt by association”, rather than being properly charged based on reliable evidence.

In commenting on the handwriting evidence, CCLA noted that there is “a substantial body of evidence” that questions its reliability. “Bitter experience has demonstrated that unreliable evidence can take many forms and occasion much injustice.”

To many people, “debtors’ prison” sounds like an archaic institution, something out of a novel by Charles Dickens. But the idea of imprisoning people who can’t pay what they “owe” is alive and well in the case of Dr. Hassan Diab. Hassan will be put in prison if he does not pay his “creditor” – in this case, the Canadian government – $2,000 per month for the cost of his own surveillance.

We invite you to be one of 100 people – A HUNDRED FOR HASSAN – who care about due process and the presumption of innocence and oppose abusive extradition proceedings, by pledging $20 or more per month to share the cost of Dr. Diab’s oppressive burden. This is our way of taking a public stand and saying, “This is just wrong.”